Created by Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril.
North of North premiered in Canada on January 7, 2025.
Distributed by Netflix (international distribution).
North of North TV Series Review
North of North is a Canadian comedy-drama about family, identity and new beginnings.
Anna Lambe leads the series as Siaja, an Inuk mother rebuilding her life in the close-knit Arctic community of Ice Cove.
Its humour and cultural storytelling create an engaging viewing experience.
Season 1 introduces Siaja’s fresh start, complicated family relationships and growing connection with Kuuk, while an unexpected discovery changes her understanding of her past.
Season 2 explores deeper family secrets as Siaja organises the Winter Ball.
Neevee faces challenges, while Kuuk and Alistair reconsider their futures.
Both seasons offer warmth, humour and heartfelt character development.
CR Rating: 7.6/10.
North of North Actors
Anna Lambe as Siaja
DOB: September 25, 2000.
Anna Lambe is a Canadian Inuk actress who grew up in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
She has developed a career in Canadian film and television, with performances that bring attention to Inuit experiences and contemporary Indigenous stories.
Role: Lambe plays Siaja, the central character in North of North.
Siaja is a 26-year-old Inuk mother living in the fictional Arctic community of Ice Cove.
After ending her marriage to Ting, she decides to rebuild her life and pursue ambitions beyond her responsibilities as a wife and mother.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (16 eps).
Interesting facts: Lambe grew up in Iqaluit, the same Nunavut city where the series was filmed.
She has spoken about the importance of telling Inuit stories through authentic representation.
Notable Works: The Grizzlies, Trickster, Three Pines, True Detective: Night Country, The Social Reckoning.
Maika Harper as Neevee
DOB: 1986.
Canadian Inuk actress, writer and children’s author.
She spent part of her childhood in Iqaluit, Nunavut, before moving to Belleville, Ontario, during her teenage years.
Harper began her acting career with a role in the APTN comedy-drama series Mohawk Girls.
Role: Harper portrays Neevee, Siaja’s mother and Bun’s grandmother.
Neevee is an unconventional woman with a reputation for being outspoken, unpredictable and difficult to understand.
Although she sometimes appears selfish or careless, she has a deep affection for her daughter and granddaughter.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (16 eps).
Interesting facts: Harper is a mother of two and has written children’s books in Inuktitut and English.
Notable Works: Mohawk Girls, Kim’s Convenience, Burden of Truth, Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent.
Braeden Clarke as Kuuk
DOB: N/A.
Canadian actor and a member of Mikisew Cree First Nation in Alberta.
He has developed his acting career through Canadian television productions, taking on roles in contemporary dramas and stories centred on Indigenous experiences.
Role: Clarke portrays Kuuk in North of North. Kuuk is an Inuk and Cree man who arrives in Ice Cove seeking a stronger connection to his family history and cultural roots.
His initial plans involve working at a polar research station, but his experiences in the community gradually influence his decision about where he wants to build his future.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (16 eps).
Interesting facts: Clarke received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for his performance in Little Bird.
Notable Works: Little Bird, Outlander, Impulse, SkyMed.
Zorga Qaunaq as Millie
DOB: N/A.
Inuk actress and multidisciplinary artist originally from Igloolik, Nunavut, and based in Ottawa, Ontario.
She grew up in Nunavut until the age of ten, when she moved to Ottawa with her family.
Her artistic practice spans traditional Inuit tattooing, graphic art, jewellery-making, illustration, printmaking and other creative mediums.
Role: Qaunaq plays Millie, Siaja’s childhood friend and colleague at the Ice Cove community centre.
Known for her irreverent humour, strong opinions and intolerance for nonsense, Millie is one of the people Siaja relies on when she needs advice or support.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (16 eps).
Interesting facts: Qaunaq is also a traditional Inuit tattoo artist and jewellery designer.
She co-founded Chinu Designs with Chinese-Canadian jeweller Robyn Mo-Lian, combining their different creative skills in the business.
Notable Works: In the Heart of the South, In Alaska.
Bailey Poching as Colin
DOB: N/A.
New Zealand actor, comedian and writer of Samoan and Māori heritage.
He has worked across television, comedy and live performance, developing a career in New Zealand’s entertainment industry.
Role: Poching plays Colin, a Māori man from New Zealand who works as the communications coordinator and radio DJ at the Ice Cove community centre.
He is part of the town’s close-knit social circle and is known for his friendly manner and sense of humour.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (16 eps).
Interesting facts: Poching’s Samoan and Māori heritage connects him to two distinct Pacific cultural backgrounds.
Notable Works: Kid Sister, My Favorite Dead Person, 7 Days.
Jay Ryan as Alistair
DOB: August 29, 1981.
New Zealand actor born Jay Bunyan in Auckland, New Zealand.
He began acting at a young age and made early television appearances in productions such as Young Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess.
Role: Ryan portrays Alistair, an environmental consultant who returns to the North after spending years away.
His visit to Ice Cove leads to the discovery that he is Siaja’s biological father, a revelation that changes his relationship with the community and gives him an unexpected connection to Siaja and her daughter, Bun.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (16 eps).
Interesting facts: Before establishing himself as an actor, Ryan worked as a clown entertaining children at parties and a local supermarket.
Notable Works: Neighbours, Beauty & the Beast, Mary Kills People, It Chapter Two, Territory.
Mary Lynn Rajskub as Helen
DOB: June 22, 1971.
American actress and comedian born in Trenton, Michigan.
She studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute before pursuing a career in comedy and acting.
She began performing stand-up and became involved in the alternative comedy scene in Los Angeles.
Role: Rajskub portrays Helen, the senior administrative officer at the Ice Cove community centre.
Helen has worked in the position for more than two decades and is deeply attached to the institution’s routines and procedures.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (16 eps).
Interesting facts: Rajskub is also a stand-up comedian and has performed comedy material based on personal experiences.
Notable Works: 24, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Larry Sanders Show, The Dropout, The Tomorrow War.
Keira Belle Cooper as Bun
DOB: N/A.
Keira Belle Cooper is a young performer whose acting career gained attention through North of North.
The series is her first major screen appearance, introducing her to television audiences through a central family role.
Role: Cooper portrays Bun, Siaja’s young daughter, whose relationship with her mother is an important part of the series.
Bun is observant, outspoken and often refreshingly direct, bringing a child’s perspective to the challenges facing the adults in Ice Cove.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (16 eps).
Interesting facts: North of North is Cooper’s onscreen debut.
Notable Works: North of North.
Doreen Nutaaq Simmonds as Elisapee
DOB: N/A.
Doreen Nutaaq Simmonds is an Inuk actress whose screen work includes productions centred on Indigenous communities and northern life.
She is known for her appearances in True Detective: Night Country and North of North, two television productions featuring Inuit characters and communities.
Role: Simmonds portrays Elisapee, an elder who works as the receptionist at the community centre.
Elisapee is a strong-minded woman with a commanding personality and a firm understanding of how she believes things should be done.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (13 eps).
Interesting facts: Simmonds also appears in True Detective: Night Country.
Her work in North of North contributes to the series’ focus on Inuit representation.
Notable Works: True Detective: Night Country.
Vinnie Karetak as Jeffrey
DOB: 1974.
Vinnie Karetak is an Inuit actor, writer and performer associated with Canadian Indigenous television and comedy.
He has worked in productions that explore northern communities, Inuit experiences and contemporary social issues.
Role: Vinnie Karetak plays Jeffrey Umik, the deadpan operator of the local dump in the fictional Nunavut town of Ice Cove.
He delivers dry, understated comedy through odd jobs and subtle reactions across both seasons of North of North.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (13 eps).
Interesting facts: Karetak is one of the creative figures behind Qanurli?, an Inuit comedy series that uses humour to explore contemporary life in the North.
Notable Works: In Alaska, Qanurli?.
Taylor Hickson as Alexis
DOB: December 11, 1997.
Canadian actress born in Kelowna, British Columbia.
She began pursuing acting professionally as a teenager and made her feature-film debut in Blackway (2015).
Hickson gained wider recognition for her role as Meghan in the superhero film Deadpool (2016).
Role: Taylor Hickson plays Alexis, the girlfriend of local researcher Kuuk.
Her character creates romantic tension for the show’s lead, Siaja, and experiences a major breakup with Kuuk during Season 2.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (8 eps).
Interesting facts: Hickson sustained a serious facial injury while filming the 2016 horror movie Ghostland.
Notable Works: Deadpool, Aftermath, Fort Salem, Untamed.
Malaya Qaunirq Chapman as Auntie Eva
DOB: N/A.
Malaya Qaunirq Chapman is an Inuit performer whose screen work includes North of North.
Her involvement in the series places her among the performers helping to bring the fictional Ice Cove community to life through characters representing different generations and personalities.
Role: Malaya Qaunirq Chapman plays Auntie Eva, a close friend of Neevee who works at Neevee’s local store in the fictional Arctic town of Ice Cove.
She serves as a steady confidante and lively presence within the tight-knit Nunavut community as Siaja navigates her fresh start.
Seasons & Episodes: S1-2 (8 eps).
Interesting facts: Chapman is part of the Inuit cast contributing to the series’ representation of northern community life.
Notable Works: Restless River, Heaven’s Floor.
More Actors
• Kelly William as Ting.
• Etua Snowball as Simon.
• Scott Monteith as Mikey.
• Anisya Todd as Judy.
• Solomon Awa as Lazarus.
• Rachelle Lefevre as Kati.
• Lewis Sinclair as Jason.
• Nuka Taqtaq as Rufio.
• Joshua Odjick as Cheekbones.
• Elisapie Isaac as Elisapie
FAQ – North of North TV Series
What is North of North about?
The series follows Siaja, a young Inuk mother who tries to rebuild her life after leaving her marriage in the small Arctic community of Ice Cove.
What is the genre of North of North?
It is a Canadian comedy series that combines workplace humour, family drama, romance and cultural storytelling.
Is Ice Cove a real place?
No. Ice Cove is a fictional Arctic community in Nunavut created for the series. The production uses Iqaluit as its main real-life filming location.
How many seasons does North of North have?
The series has two seasons as of November 2026.
Where can I watch North of North?
You can stream North of North on Netflix. In Canada, the series is also available through CBC Gem and APTN+.
Conclusion
North of North is a refreshing comedy-drama with engaging performances, heartfelt family stories and plenty of humour.
Its authentic cultural representation and memorable characters make it worth watching.